Honorable Mentions:
Dashboard Confessional – Crooked Shadows
Nanami Ozone – Alone Too/3 Mile Drive
Envy – Alnair in August
Burning House – Tracer
Long Neck – Will This Do?
Doe – Grow Into It
Young Scum – Young Scum
Double Grave – Empty Hands
Damien Jurado – The Horizon Just Laughed
Camp Cope – How To Socialise & Make Friends
Open – Sudden Terrors
Deadens – Queen/Underflow
Infant Island – Infant Island
Michael Cera Palin – I Don’t Know How To Explain It
Clearance – At Your Liesure
Sollunar – Formation
I Me Mine – ELLIPSIS
awakebutstillinbed – what people call low self-esteem is really just seeing yourself the way that other people see you
Sleeping Giant – I Am
30: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – While We’re At It
Ska: The skacore legends return with their first album new album in 7 years.
29: Mouse On Keys – Tres
https://topshelfrecords.bandcamp.com/album/tres
Instrumental: Tres is an almost slow jazz version of post rock.
28: Jeff Rosenstock – Post-
https://jeffrosenstock.bandcamp.com/album/post
Punk: Rosenstock dropped Post- on New Years day. The album almost reminds me of early Green Day.
27: Mxpx – Mxpx
Punk: Mxpx doing Mxpx things and giving us another gem!
26: Foxhole – Well Kept Thing
https://fxhl.bandcamp.com/album/well-kept-thing
Post Rock: Foxhole’s first new music in 12 years is easily their best. And it’s now a Grammy nominated record!
25: Wild Pink – Yolk In The Fur
https://wildpink.bandcamp.com/album/yolk-in-the-fur
Indie Folk: Yolk In The Future is a more matured and full vision of what Wild Pink showcased on their self-titled debut. Just a warm record.
24: Illuminati Hotties – Kiss Yr Frenemies
https://illuminatihotties.bandcamp.com/album/kiss-yr-frenemies
Power Pop: 1. Illuminati Hotties is an A+ band name. 2. Kiss Yr Frenemies is full of catchy pop tunes!
23: Giraffes? Giraffes! – Memory Lame
https://giraffesgiraffes.bandcamp.com/album/memory-lame
Math Rock: Memory Lame feels like a collaboration between Don Cab and Battles with more chaos thrown in.
22: Scrunchies – Stunner
https://scrunchies.bandcamp.com/album/stunner
Punk: Stunner has an old school feel to it that I love.
21: Saves the Day – 9
Punk/Emo: Some people complained about the lyrical content of 9, and I get it, but the vibe of the record is fun and self aware and it fits perfectly in Saves the Day’s catalog.
20: Hammock – Universalis
https://shop.hammockmusic.com/album/universalis
Ambient: Another beautiful record from Hammock.
19: El Ten Eleven – Banker’s Hill
https://fakerecordlabel.bandcamp.com/album/bankers-hill
Post Rock: El Ten Eleven always delivers a unique spin to post rock with the way they use loops. Banker’s Hill my favorite record they’ve released since 2007’s Every Direction Is North.
18: Lifted Bells – Minor Tantrums
https://liftedbellsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/minor-tantrums-2
Math Rock/Emo: The Bob Nanna project returns with its most mathy and technical effort to date.
17: Thrice – Palms
https://liftedbellsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/minor-tantrums-2
Post Hardcore/Emo: I didn’t instantly connect with Palms the same way I have previous Thrice albums, but once it clicked, I feel in love.
16: CHVRCHES – Love Is Dead
Pop/Electronic: Why I have not listened to CHVRCHES before? Definitely a worthwhile listen.
15: The Out Circuit – Enter The Ghost
https://theoutcircuit.bandcamp.com/
Ambient/Indie: Nearly 11 years between records will shift your sound, for sure. The Out Circuit follows up a post hardcore masterpiece with a more ambient approach and it’s still just as brilliant.
14: Fine China – Not Thrilled
New Wave: So many bands returned in 2018 to deliver their best new music in years and Fine China was no exception. Not Thrilled has the band’s catchiest tunes yet.
13: Foxing – Nearer My God
https://foxingtheband.bandcamp.com/album/nearer-my-god
Emo/Indie: One of the staples of the emo revival stepped out their comfort zone to deliver their best record yet.
12: Pohgoh – Secret Club
https://pohgoh.bandcamp.com/album/secret-club
Emo: Pohgoh returns with their first album in 21 years.
11: Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog
https://hopalong.bandcamp.com/album/bark-your-head-off-dog
Indie Rock/Singer Songwriter: How Simple alone was going to have Bark Your Head Off, Dog on my list. Lots of great pop songs delivered with Frances Quinlan’s cutting vocal delivery.
10: Cursive – Vitriola
https://15passenger.bandcamp.com/album/vitriola
Emo/Post Hardcore: Cursive returns with a harder edge. I didn’t hate their more arty work but it didn’t connect the same way as their early material. Vitriola comes back with that youthful aggression.
9: Pool Kids – Music To Practice Safe Sex To
https://poolkidsband.bandcamp.com/album/music-to-practice-safe-sex-to
Emo: If you like 90’s American Football, Braid, Cap n Jazz, this album is for you!
8: Good Game – Good Luck Have Fun
https://goodgameband.bandcamp.com/album/good-luck-have-fun
Math Rock: Stumbled across this record accidentally and was an instant fan. Great noodlely guitar work with lots of starts and stops.
7: Death Cab For Cutie – Thank You For Today
https://deathcabforcutie.bandcamp.com/album/thank-you-for-today
Indie Rock: I’m not sure what Death Cab would need to do for me to not love a record they put out.
6: Restorations – LP5000
https://restorations.bandcamp.com/album/lp5000
Post Hardcore: I’m only just getting on the Restorations bandwagon but LP5000 was a perfect record to hear first!
5: mewithoutYou – [Untitled]
https://mewithoutyou.bandcamp.com/album/untitled
Post Hardcore: I have yet to fully take in mewithoutYou’s latest record. There’s a lot of interesting and complex lyrical themes to dive into and all the vocal and musical layers. On it’s face, it’s a fantastic record.
4: Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
https://deafheavens.bandcamp.com/album/ordinary-corrupt-human-love
Black Metal/Shoegaze: I really wasn’t prepared for the beautiful moments of Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. Deafheaven stepped up their game big time!
3: Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love
https://pianosbecometheteeth.bandcamp.com/album/wait-for-love
Post Hardcore/Emo: Pianos Become The Teeth took the shift in sound from 2014’s Keep You and improved upon the more melodic elements. Great hooks on Wait For Love.
2: In Parallel – Broken Codes
https://inparallelband.bandcamp.com/album/broken-codes
New Wave/Shoegaze: Somewhere where Joy Division meets Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode, you’ll find In Parallel. Broken Codes is brooding and beautiful.
1: Hopesfall – Arbiter
Post Hardcore: Hopesfall returned with a perfect follow-up to Magnetic North. It would’ve been a perfect follow-up to The Satellite Years. The way the band blended the atmospheric and spacey side of their sound with the heavy, works perfectly. And Jay has never sounded better on vocals. A perfect record start to finish!